In Exercise Referral Schemes (ERS), primary care patients who are sedentary or are likely to benefit from physical activity are referred by a primary care professional to a third party provider for a tailored exercise programme. Are the benefits of these exercise schemes worth the costs? Methods This was an economic evaluation using a cost-utility [read the full story…]

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Reducing the prevalence of tobacco use is best achieved through a range of tobacco control measures designed to both prevent or reduce uptake, and encourage and support existing smokers to stop smoking. These measures can include education, taxation and cessation support, but while all of these have been shown to be effective, there remains uncertainty [read the full story…]

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Being overweight is bad for your health, but finding the time and resources to address this can be difficult. Using distance communication technology, such as e-mail or telephone, can help make person-to-person counselling more accessible to working adults. This isn’t the first time we’ve looked at interventions of this nature at The Lifestyle Elf, but [read the full story…]

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My cousin the Mental Elf has been looking at some research on exercise programmes and their effect on depressive symptoms. Here’s what he said about it: Exercise is a good thing right? It seems obvious that people who are affected by mental health problems would benefit from getting themselves outside and becoming more active, but [read the full story…]

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